Monthly Archives: November 2016

Posted on by
Reply

disciple-making-church-b

 

Phase 1: Critical next steps after conversion – first discipleship steps

This phase could take anything from 7 weeks to 14 months to complete. A mentor will work this through with his disciple to such an extent that the disciple would be able to disciple a new Christian through phase 1.

  1. Make sure that you are saved
    1. Ef 2:8 – it is a a gift
    2. John 10:27-29 – you have eternal life
    3. Rom 3:23 – faith justifies you (but faith is also a gift)
    4. Dealing with emotion and doubt
  2. Tell someone that you are saved
    1. John 1:41 – Andrew tells Simon and brings him to Jesus
  3. Just rest with Jesus
    1. This could be listening to worship music
    2. It could be quiet time with Him
    3. It could be experiencing some of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
  4. Learn to listen to the Holy Spirit
    1. Listen to prompting or the Holy Spirit
    2. Embrace any thought
    3. Speak to Jesus about it
    4. Take the thought to the Bible – all thoughts to be captured by the Bible
    5. Pray about that revelation/area (of weakness or strength)/person/opportunity/threat
    6. Write it down – also what you need to do
    7. Start again – wait , listen, respond (embrace, act, pray , write)
  5. Get baptized
    1. Baptism is necessary for obedience (not for salvation) – Acts 2:38
    2. Telling the world:. “I am an new person”, 2 Cor. 5:17
    3. Make sure that you are baptised with the Holy Spirit – Acts 1:4-5. This is different to water baptism – you receive the Holy Spirit in his fullness and get Power
  6. Start reading the Bible (have a quiet time)
    1. Find time after your initial period of resting with Jesus (no 3) to just read the Bible
    2. Read a few chapters every day and note a verse or two where God speaks to you
    3. If there are verses that you do not understand, write them down and ask your mentor.
    4. Have a note book or journal where you write down God’s message to you
  7. Start your prayer life (establish a war room)
    1. Prayer is talking to God.
    2. There could be fixed times like morning, noon and evening
    3. There should be conversations throughout the day
    4. Sometimes prayer and fasting go hand in hand – learn about fasting in theory and practise
  1. Evaluate friendships
    1. Ask the Father to give you some good and solid Christian friends
    2. Ask the Father which of your current friends you need to see less of or to end the friendship totally
  2. Find a small group of Christians and meet with them regularly
    1. Most small groups meet at least three times per month, sometimes more
    2. Make a commitment to attend the group
    3. Find the right group and stick with the group
    4. Find a church after you have settled in a strong group
  3. Learn to give
    1. God loves a cheerful giver
    2. Everything belongs to God
  4. Memorise God’s Word
    1. Be ready to give a word or a defence – 1 Peter 3:15
    2. Meditate on the word – Psalm 119:97
  5. Get your health in order
    1. Get prayer for this
    2. If you are overweight or underweight, take the necessary steps and get help to address this
    3. If you are unfit, start with an exercise routine
    4. If you have an addiction like substance abuse (drugs), smoking, drinking, pornography, abuse, (over)eating, lustful sex or thoughts, get prayer and help for this
    5. If you have any other challenges, address those
  6. Get your spiritual and psychological life in order
    1. Go for Inner healing session
    2. Go for prayer sessions
    3. Go for sessions with professionals to assist you
    4. Go to seminars or camps
  7. Get your relationship life in order
    1. People who wronged you
    2. Father, mother etc
    3. Brothers, sisters or other family
    4. Anyone else
    5. The Holy Spirit, The Father and the Son
  8. Find a mentor
    1. Some mature Christian that you will guide you to do the steps above (phase 1)
    2. Some mature Christian(s) that could guide you further along the road (phase 2-4)

 

This is a summary of the different steps that a mentor (disciple maker) should work through with his disciple.

Hansie Louw, November 2016

Call to prayer – Special Synod DRC Nov 2016

Posted on by
Reply
CALL TO PRAYER
Special Synod of the DRC: 7-10 November 2016

A special Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church will be held from 7-10 November to reconsider a decision taken by the General Synod on same-sex relationships and same-sex marriages in 2015. Since this decision, many experienced a great deal of confusion, unhappiness, disappointment and even anger. This extraordinary meeting of the General Synod will take place in Pretoria next week. It will have significant consequences for the broader Afrikaans church, but also the church in general in our country. We urge you to unite in prayer around this very important meeting.  The following are a few prayer guidelines to pray about for this highly sensitive issue.

1. Authority of the Word. Pray that the Synod will submit to the authority of the Word without compromise and that none of their decisions will contradict or exceed Scripture. 1 Peter 1:23-25 – …the word of God which lives and abides forever… and also;   “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” Thus, pray that all reasoning around this issue will flow from the Word and not from human arguments or opinions. Declare and pray from Psalm 119:160 – The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

2. Fear of the LORD. Pray for the fear of the LORD to guide hearts, emotions and thoughts. (Proverbs 8:13).

3. The work of the Holy Spirit. Pray that the mighty power of the Holy Spirit will lead this meeting, so that this issue may be considered with godly wisdom, and God-honouring decisions will be made.

4. Manipulation.  Pray for all influence of all pressure groups (including secular), that want to force and manipulate the church into compromise, to be destroyed. Pray for every thought, feeling, emotion and sincere intention (2 Corinthians 10:4-5), to be subject to the sovereignty of God’s will and Word; which is always higher than that of man. (Isaiah 55:8-9).  Ask that there will be no indoctrination, that no lies will be proclaimed, no emotionally loaded comments will be made, neither any form of hyping will prevail. Pray for the Spirit of the Lord to prohibit people attacking each other, and that no contribution by any individual will implicate or dishonour the Lord Jesus Christ.

5. Unity. There are considerable differences in the interpretation of the church laws and the legality of the decisions taken at the Synod in 2015, as well as how the Synod should handle this. Pray particularly that the Synod will not get stuck in technical discussions about interpretation of the church laws, and that uncertainties will be resolved in unity.

6. Breaking the work of demonic powers. Pray for every form of demonic influence that wants to prevent or hinder the Synod to do its work in truth, love and unity; or that wants to sow division, will be destroyed. Also, pray for the destruction of all misleading thoughts and false arguments that are not in line with the Word, or do not accept the authority of Scripture, or are not subjected to Christ.

7. Simplicity and clarity. Pray that the Synod will formulate its decisions in a simple and clear manner. That there will not be any room left for misunderstanding about the exact meaning of the decisions taken.

8. Great commission. Pray for this special Synod again to stress the importance of the greater responsibility of proclaiming the gospel and again to call the church to intense prayer for spiritual renewal and revival.
AFRIKAANS
GEBEDSOPROEP
Spesiale Sinode van die NGK: 7-10 November 2016

Die NG Kerk het ‘n spesiale Sinode 7-10 November 2016 om weer te besin oor ‘n besluit oor selfdegeslag verhoudinge en selfdegeslag huwelike wat die Algemene Sinode in 2015 geneem het. Daar was intussen groot verwarring, ongelukkigheid, teleurstelling en selfs woede oor die besluit by baie mense. Hierdie buitengewone byeenkoms van die Algemene Sinode vind volgende week in Pretoria plaas en het groot konsekwensies vir die Afrikaanse kerk in die breë, maar ook vir die kerk in die algemeen in ons land. Ons wil jou graag uitnooi om saam te verenig in gebed vir hierdie baie belangrike waterskeidingsvergadering. Die volgende kan dien as enkele gebedsriglyne om oor hierdie uiters sensitiewe saak te bid.

1. Gesag van die Woord. Bid vir die Sinode om sonder kompromis die gesag van die Woord te aanvaar en dat hulle besluite nie enige element van die Skrif sal weerspreek nie. 1 Petrus 1:23-25: …die lewende en ewige woord van God… en ook; Die mens is soos gras, en al sy prag soos ‘n veldblom; die gras verdor en die blom val af, maar die woord van die Here, dít bly vir ewig. Bid dus dat die beredenering van die saak vanuit die Woord sal voortvloei en nie deur menslike argumente en opinies nie. Verklaar en bid vanuit Psalm 119:160 – Op u woord kan ‘n mens hom geheel en al verlaat. Al u bepalings is regverdig. Hulle staan vas.

2. Vrees van die Here. Bid dat die vrees van God alleen, harte, emosies en gedagtes sal rig. (Spreuke 8:13).

3. Werk van die Heilige Gees. Bid vir die kragtige werking van die Heilige Gees om hierdie vergadering te lei, sodat daar met goddelike wysheid oor die saak besin kan word en besluite geneem sal word wat God sal eer.

4. Manipulasie. Bid vir die verbreking van die invloed van alle drukgroepe (ook sekulêr), wat die kerk in rigtings wil indwing en manipuleer om kompromieë aan te gaan. Bid dat elke gedagte, gevoel, emosie en opregte bedoeling (2 Korintiërs 10:4-5), steeds ondergeskik sal wees aan die soewereiniteit van God se wil en die Woord wat altyd ver bokant die insig van mense is. (Jesaja 55:8-9). Bid dat daar geen indoktrinasie sal wees nie, geen onwaarhede verkondig sal word nie, geen emosioneel belaaide aantygings gemaak sal word, of enige vorm van opsweping sal plaasvind nie. Bid dat die Gees van die Here sal verhinder dat mense mekaar beskuldig, en dat geen voorleggings gemaak sal word of redenasies gebruik sal word wat Jesus Christus oneer sal aandoen nie.

5. Eenheid. Daar is intense verskille oor die interpretasie van kerkwette en die regsgeldigheid van besluite van die 2015 Sinode, asook oor hoe die Sinode hierdie sake kerkregtelik moet hanteer. Bid veral dat die Sinode nie sal vasval in tegniese gesprekke oor interpretasie van kerkwette nie, en dat onduidelikhede maklik uit die weg geruim kan word in eenheid.

6. Verbreking van werking van bose magte. Bid vir die verbreking van elke vorm van demoniese invloed wat die Sinode wil verhinder om met waarheid, liefde en eensgesindheid sy werk te doen, en wat verdeeldheid wil saai. Bid ook vir die verbreking van alle misleidende gedagtes en drogredenasies wat nie in lyn met die Woord is nie, en nie die gesag van die Skrif aanvaar en aan Christus ondergeskik is nie.

7. Eenvoud en duidelikheid. Bid dat die Sinode sy besluite op ‘n eenvoudige en duidelike wyse sal formuleer. Dat daar nie formulerings sal wees wat ruimte sal skep vir misverstande oor presies wat die besluite behels nie.

8. Groot opdrag. Bid dat hierdie spesiale Sinode die belangrikheid van die groter verantwoordelikheid van die verkondiging van die evangelie sal beklemtoon, en die kerk opnuut sal oproep tot intense gebed vir geestelike vernuwing en herlewing.